Gagnon Follows Perrier as Executive Chef of CinCin

GAGNON FOLLOWS PERRIER AS EXECUTIVE CHEF OF CINCIN
(Directly from the press release.)

Mark Perrier will be stepping down as the Executive Chef of CinCin. In his place, Top Table Restaurant Group has appointed Francois Gagnon as CinCin’s new Executive Chef (see bio below), who will start in early 2008. Francois joins CinCin from a successful tenure at Blue Water Cafe where he was the Executive Sous Chef for four years, assisting Frank Pabst and being an integral part of Blue’s culinary success.

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FRANCOIS GAGNON
Executive Chef, CinCin

Francois Gagnon brings over 15 years of professional cooking experience to the helm of CinCin’s wood-fired kitchen. With a culinary mantra of “simplicity is the hallmark of genius,� he believes that “fresh ingredients should speak for themselves in order to allow natural flavours to stand out on the plate.�

Setting his sights on a career in the kitchen, Gagnon gradated from Quebec’s distinguished centre integer en alimentation et tourisme (CIAT) program in Culinary Arts. He continued his training by working under world-renowned chefs in France, including Roger Verger at the acclaimed Relais & Chateau property Le Moulin de Mougins and Joel Garault at Monte Carlo’s Hotel l’Hermitage. Following those appointments, Gagnon made a brief stop in his native Quebec before arriving in Vancouver at Lumiere Restaurant as Chef de Partie, where he was quickly promoted to Sous Chef of Lumiere's sister restaurant, Feenie’s.

With the opportunity to work alongside celebrated Executive Chef Frank Pabst beckoning, Gagnon joined Blue Water Cafe in 2003 as Executive Sous Chef. There, he applied his appreciation for regional seafood and devotion to local and sustainable products. During his tenure, Gagnon was a key ingredient to establishing the restaurant as one of Vancouver’s finest.

Continual learning and the conception of new ideas are aspects that Gagnon loves about being a chef. “It’s a journey, not a destination,� says Gagnon. “Everything is constantly changing and evolving – products, methods, technologies – so all we can do is push and push until we find a way to reach that next level.�